Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi by Caron c1927

Launched in 1927 by Caron, Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi stands as an emblem of refinement and nostalgia, encapsulating the romantic allure of its era. The name, French for "Sweet Pea from My Home," is steeped in sentimentality, conjuring images of a cherished garden or the comforting embrace of familiar surroundings. Pronounced "PWAH-DUH-SAHN-TERR-DUH-SHAY-MWAH," it resonates with an air of elegance and tenderness, embodying the emotional connection between scent and memory. Women of the time would have likely found the name evocative, aligning with a yearning for personal expression and domestic grace that characterized the interwar period.

The phrase "Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi" evokes imagery of delicate sweet pea blossoms climbing gracefully along trellises, their pastel petals glowing in dappled sunlight. It suggests emotions of intimacy, romance, and nostalgia, qualities that resonated deeply with the sensibilities of women in the late 1920s. In an era of social change, when women were redefining their roles and asserting their individuality, a perfume named for the sweet pea—a flower symbolizing gentle pleasures and lasting bonds—offered a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity.

Interpreted as a scent, Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi captures the sweet, airy essence of sweet pea blooms, enhanced by a bouquet of complementary florals and a base enriched with warm woods, soft resins, and sensual animalics. This interpretation reflected the advances in perfumery during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where natural extracts like sweet pea absolutes were increasingly paired with innovative synthetics like heliotropin, terpineol, and vanillin to create enduring, multi-dimensional compositions. These additions lent a sophistication and complexity that echoed the era's embrace of modernity.

The late 1920s was a transformative period for perfumery, defined by the emergence of bold and abstract fragrance structures. Landmark creations like Guerlain's Shalimar (1925) and Chanel No. 5 (1921) had set a precedent for innovation, emphasizing aldehydes, synthetic ingredients, and daring combinations of floral, oriental, and woody accords. Against this backdrop, Caron's Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi stood out as a tribute to a classic floral theme but reimagined with the sophistication and artistry that defined Caron’s house style.

Sweet pea-based perfumes had been beloved since the 19th century, with their formulas often incorporating a delicate balance of florals, woods, and subtle animalics. Caron’s decision to introduce a modernized sweet pea fragrance in 1927 with a whimsical name was both a nod to tradition and an assertion of its mastery in blending timeless themes with contemporary trends. Unlike the exuberant and exotic compositions dominating the market, Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi offered an understated elegance, appealing to women who valued refinement and subtlety in their personal scent.

By revisiting the sweet pea motif, Caron successfully bridged the past and the present, celebrating the enduring appeal of this beloved bloom while employing the latest advancements in perfumery. The result was a fragrance that embodied the grace and sophistication of its time, delivering a sensory experience that was both nostalgic and modern—a hallmark of Caron’s artistry. Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi remains a poignant example of how a name, a flower, and a scent can intertwine to capture the essence of an era.

Product Line:

Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi, a hallmark of refined femininity, extended its enchanting aroma beyond the realm of parfum, creating a luxurious collection of beauty products that elevated everyday rituals. The extrait, or pure parfum, was the centerpiece of this line, capturing the full essence of the fragrance in its most concentrated and enduring form. Housed in elegant flacons, it was designed for women who sought to leave a lingering impression of floral sophistication wherever they went.

Complementing the extrait, a range of finely crafted powders imbued with the scent of Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi provided a seamless way to incorporate its delicate fragrance into one’s beauty routine. The face powder, offered in beautifully designed boxes, delivered a velvety texture and subtle tint while imparting the signature floral aroma, creating a multi-sensory experience that was as practical as it was luxurious.

For women who appreciated the convenience of on-the-go elegance, the collection also included powder and rouge compacts. These compacts, adorned with intricate designs reflective of the brand’s timeless aesthetic, were the epitome of functional beauty. The powders left a soft, fragrant veil on the skin, while the rouges, equally scented, added a natural flush to the cheeks. Both items were designed to slip easily into a handbag, ensuring that a touch of refinement was always within reach.

Together, these offerings transformed Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi into more than just a fragrance—it became a complete sensory experience, blending beauty, utility, and the allure of its exquisite floral scent. Each piece in the product line was a testament to the artistry and thoughtfulness behind this iconic fragrance.

 

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi by Caron is classified as a floral fragrance for women. Sweet pea: rose note, hyacinth on a warm spicy woody base. The original formula is below:

• Top notes: Calabrian bergamot, Grasse natural rose absolute, Tunisian orange blossom, Jordanian almond, Guinea orange
• Middle notes: Mexican heliotrope, heliotropin, Tuscan violet, ionone, Portuguese tuberose, Dutch hyacinth, hyacinthine, Turkish cyclamen, Bulgarian rose otto, Grasse natural jasmine absolute, Alpine lily of the valley
• Base notes: Mysore sandalwood, Abyssinian civet, Venezuelan tonka bean, coumarin, Madagascar vanilla, vanillin, Atlas cedarwood, mousse de saxe, terpineol, Sumatran styrax, Indonesian guaiac

Scent Profile:

The first impression of Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi is radiant and refined, like walking through a sun-warmed garden just after dawn. The top notes unfold with a burst of Calabrian bergamot, crisp and green-citrusy, yet softer than lemon — its cool sparkle refined by the sun-drenched hills of southern Italy. The aroma is rounded by a silken touch of Grasse rose absolute, plucked from the perfume capital of France. This is no fresh bloom — it’s a honeyed, deeply floral heart, rich with centuries of savoir-faire. A whisper of Tunisian orange blossom follows, with its shimmering white petals carrying the delicate tension between indolic sensuality and innocent sweetness.

There’s a surprising accent of Jordanian almond — its bitter, almost cherry-like nuttiness drifting just beneath the floral sparkle, lending a gourmand nuance without cloying heaviness. Then, the Guinea orange, a warm and slightly resinous citrus, rounds out the top like a bronze sunbeam — deeper and less volatile than bergamot, grounding the ethereal florals with a touch of spice and ambered pulp.

As the heart begins to reveal itself, it blooms in a gentle, powdery haze. Mexican heliotrope — almondy, vanillic, and slightly balsamic — merges seamlessly with heliotropin (piperonal), a soft synthetic that accentuates the natural heliotrope’s almond-flecked fluffiness. Together, they evoke a sense of vintage elegance, like the pale lavender powder in a carved glass vanity jar. Tuscan violet appears next, plush and green, its candied yet earthy floralcy sharpened by ionone, a key violet molecule that smells of dusty petals and dried apricots. The ionone intensifies the fleeting violet bloom, allowing it to linger with an airy tenacity.

Then comes the full floral chorus: Portuguese tuberose, creamy and narcotic, pulses with sensuality — not loud, but smoldering under the surface. Dutch hyacinth and the rare hyacinthine compound contribute a verdant, watery-green quality, crisp like snapped stems and cool cellar air. Turkish cyclamen adds a faint soapiness, clean and ozonic, and contrasts beautifully with the richer notes. At the heart, Bulgarian rose otto — considered the finest of rose oils — sings in duet with Grasse jasmine absolute, lush and indolic, breathing life and voluptuous depth into the blend. A crisp accent of Alpine lily of the valley rises like a silver bell — cool, silken, slightly citrusy — echoing the breathless clarity of mountain air.

The drydown is smooth, tactile, and quietly animalic. Mysore sandalwood — now a rare and protected treasure — brings an unmatched creaminess: milky, woody, and sweetly resinous, like warm skin after sunlight. Against this plush backdrop, Abyssinian civet adds a warm, musky hum — not overtly animalic, but more like the scent of fabric that’s clung to skin. The base sweetens further with Venezuelan tonka bean, soft and hay-like, enriched by coumarin, its synthetic twin, offering almond-dusted warmth and long-lasting sweetness. Madagascar vanilla and vanillin together heighten this warmth — the natural extract bringing depth and subtle floral creaminess, while the synthetic adds brightness and lift, preventing the vanilla from becoming heavy.

Atlas cedarwood threads a dry, smoky spine through the composition — pencil shavings and a hint of incense. Then comes mousse de saxe, Caron’s signature base accord — a dark, mysterious blend of leather, powder, moss, and balsam that lends a velvety duskiness to the drydown. The inclusion of terpineol adds a pine-like clarity and floral freshness, while Sumatran styrax brings a final resinous bite — leathery, spicy, almost chewy. The fragrance closes with the smoky-sweet wood of Indonesian guaiac, dark as polished ebony and glinting with embers.

 

Bottles:

Caron - Les Pois de Senteurs de Chez Moi parfum was housed in Baccarat crystal perfume bottles with a green enameled crystal stopper. They were housed inside of a faux shagreen box. The bottle was designed by Paul Ternat and Felicie Bergaud. Baccarat model number 809. I believe there were three sizes of the parfum (extrait). If you have a sealed box and do not know what size your parfum bottle is, use this handy chart below. Note, this does not apply to the bottles with sprays or screw caps, this chart is only for the glass stoppered bottles:

• 1 oz stands 4.5" tall.
• Size 80 = 2.7 oz  stands 6" tall.

8.5" tall

7.5" tall.

Harper's Bazaar, 1956:

"A new miniature flagon of Caron's long-loved " Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi " is encased in white leather. $ 12.50 ."

Fate of the Fragrance:

Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi by Caron, rather than being entirely discontinued, appears to have undergone several reformulations over the years — a common trajectory for many classic perfumes. These changes are rarely arbitrary. Reformulations are often necessary due to a range of evolving factors that impact the perfumery world, from shifts in raw material availability to regulatory demands and changing public preferences.

One major reason for reformulation is ingredient restriction. Over the decades, governing bodies like the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) have issued guidelines limiting or outright banning certain natural ingredients — such as real oakmoss, nitro-musks, and specific animal-derived materials like civet and castoreum — due to allergenic concerns or ethical considerations. Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi relied on a number of now-restricted ingredients, including natural civet, mousse de saxe (which often contained oakmoss and nitro-musks), and tonka bean (high in coumarin). In reformulating, perfumers must reimagine these foundational elements while trying to preserve the soul of the original creation — a delicate balancing act between fidelity and compliance.

Another key factor is the availability of raw materials. Some regions that once produced key perfumery ingredients — like Mysore sandalwood from India or certain floral absolutes from Grasse — have restricted exports or seen diminished production. Political instability, environmental changes, or shifts in agricultural focus may also affect sourcing. In response, perfumers often turn to sustainable or lab-created alternatives, which can subtly alter a fragrance’s character.

Additionally, the passage of time changes the palette of ingredients available to perfumers. Some aroma chemicals and prefabricated bases used in vintage formulas are no longer manufactured — either due to cost, complexity, or obsolescence. These bases, often proprietary to specific fragrance houses, might have included signature blends or accords that were integral to the structure of a perfume like Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi. If these are no longer in production, the formula must be rebuilt from the ground up or replaced with contemporary equivalents, which may shift the overall scent profile.

Lastly, modern consumer tastes and commercial strategies inevitably influence reformulation. The dense, powdery, floral-animalic style that defined Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi in its original form may have been softened or lightened in later versions to align with contemporary preferences for cleaner, fresher compositions. Even the intensity and projection of vintage perfumes are often moderated today to meet expectations for more subtle wear.

In sum, the reformulation of Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi was likely the result of a combination of regulatory pressure, material scarcity, evolving technology, and market demand. While these changes may distance the perfume from its original form, they also represent an effort to preserve its legacy in an ever-shifting olfactory landscape — keeping the memory of its sweet pea heart alive for future generations.

The Parfum (extrait) has the following notes:

• Top notes: cyclamen, hyacinth and rose
• Middle notes: lily of the valley and jasmine
• Base notes: musk, sandalwood, vanilla and cedar 

The Connoisseur, 1985:

"Sweet Peas by Parfums Caron. Created in 1927 for a woman fond of sport, in love with speed and progress, a natural warm note mingling rose and jasmine, the one-fifth ounce "Pois de Senteur de chez moi" Parfum."

The modern extrait formulation of Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi is a gentle echo of Caron’s original symphony of sweet pea and powdered florals, streamlined and softened for today’s sensibilities. What remains is a dreamy, romantic aura—light-soaked and nostalgic—but its once richly embroidered complexity has been pared down into a more impressionistic silhouette. Still, each note offers a distinct texture, and the pared palette allows the few chosen materials to sing with clarity.

The perfume opens with the crisp, watery tenderness of cyclamen, its scent ethereal and almost dewy—like the freshness of pale petals after spring rain. Cyclamen’s aroma is hard to extract naturally, so this note is rendered almost entirely through synthetic means, with materials like cyclamen aldehyde lending a cool, airy elegance. It acts as a curtain-lifter, drawing the wearer gently into the heart of the fragrance without overwhelming.

Hyacinth follows, bold yet sweet, its scent both floral and green—like crushed spring stems nestled among tightly packed blossoms. The note is often replicated using hyacinthine, a synthetic component that captures the crisp, almost sappy intensity of the flower’s fresh bloom. Here, it bridges the airy opening with a more structured floral heart.

Rose anchors the top accord with a delicate sweetness. While the type of rose is not specified in this modern version, it likely blends synthetic phenylethyl alcohol (for its soft, petal-like profile) with possibly a touch of natural rose absolute to lend richness. In contrast to the original formula—which boasted both Grasse rose and Bulgarian rose otto—the modern version’s rose is less complex, less velvety, and more transparent, leaning toward a fresh floral lift rather than a deep bloom.

As the fragrance unfolds, lily of the valley makes its entrance, bright and floral-green. This note cannot be extracted naturally, so its shimmering, radiant scent is created using a blend of synthetics such as hydroxycitronellal, lilial (though now banned in the EU), or Lyral. These materials give lily of the valley its airy white-lace character. Here, it recalls the classic structure of French floral bouquets, evoking springtime walks in alpine gardens—a subtle nod to the lily of the valley used in the original.

Jasmine lends warmth and weight to the heart. Whether it is a jasmine absolute or a jasmine accord built from synthetics like hedione (known for its radiant diffusion), the note is soft rather than indolic, lending a creamy smoothness and echoing the jasmine of the vintage formula, albeit with less narcotic intensity. Hedione, in particular, adds an almost citrusy-luminous quality that makes jasmine feel like light in motion, rather than a solid floral block.

The base is comforting and softly sensual. Musk, almost certainly synthetic in this modern iteration, brings a clean, skin-like texture. Where the original used animal-derived musks like civet and possibly even deer musk, the contemporary version relies on modern musks such as galaxolide or cashmeran—transparent and cottony rather than feral. Sandalwood is likely from sustainable sources such as Australian sandalwood, rather than the now-rare Mysore variety used in the original. This version is creamier, less pungent, with a gentle milky finish.

Vanilla, probably a blend of natural vanilla and vanillin, rounds out the base with warmth and softness, tempering the florals without veering into gourmand territory. And cedar, likely Virginia or Atlas cedar, adds a dry, woody facet that lends structure and a whisper of pencil-shaving dryness—an elegant counterpoint to the otherwise plush textures.

Compared to the original, this modern formulation is clearly simplified. It has shed the sweet almond, heliotrope, tonka, mousse de saxe, animalics, and exotic balsams that once gave the fragrance its complex emotional depth. Instead, it embraces clarity and wearability. What was once a lavish embroidered tapestry is now more of a watercolor—delicate, beautiful, but ephemeral. Yet for lovers of refined florals and those curious about vintage reimaginings, this modern Les Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi still whispers with Caron’s legacy of elegance.